


The Valley

by MALLR4TS



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Big Valley - Freeform, Campfire, Camping, Hunting, Inktober, West Elizabeth, prompt, wild horses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:20:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26775034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MALLR4TS/pseuds/MALLR4TS
Summary: Arthur and his mustang enjoy their day hunting, followed by a calm evening by the fire.
Kudos: 12





	The Valley

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to practice my descriptive text, and write something about the Arthur I played as and my boah, Spirit. 
> 
> Twitter and Tumblr are @MALLR4TS

Big Valley is one of the most beautiful places in the East, and Arthur always finds himself roaming these parts for very few reasons. Sure, he'll hunt and fish here, maybe spend some time chatting to the trapper as he orders some new equipment, but apart from that, there isn't too much to do. And that's exactly why Arthur likes it. 

He pitches his tent and gets a small fire going, cooking a few leftover pieces of meat he had. After eating a light meal and getting his equipment ready, Arthur heads down into the valley, trotting along on the back of his mustang. 

This was where the two of them met. Arthur had taken his time to calm and tame the beast, breaking him in and riding him over to Strawberry so he could saddle him up and give him a cute name. The boy was full of spirit, and Arthur could see that wild and free glint to his eyes every time he looked at him. In some ways, the two of them were the same, being adventurous and carefree, and maybe that explains why Arthur bonded with the mount so quickly. 

So that's what he named him, Spirit.

The two take their time to hunt, Arthur has the bow ready in his hand, fingers holding the arrow in place as his other hand loosely holds Spirits reigns. He's a little overdressed to be hunting, with his pearly white shirt, red waistcoat, and emerald green puff tie, but the length of his 'stache that curls at the end shows just how long this man has been on the road, somehow managing to keep his clothes clean. 

Arthur was always dressed impeccably, and his horse was just the same. Arthur had finally gotten used to the number of compliments he would receive about his mount. Spirits' coat was always clean, his hooves were always free of dirt, and the way his fur glistened in the rain would send a chill down any man's spine. Handsome was the perfect word to describe this mustang, but his personality was not as formal as his looks. He was boisterous and full of fire, just like his rider.

Arthur reaches the heart of the valley. Hanging Dog Ranch is in view, but Arthur knows not to venture over there. He's cleared that hideout many times, but it seems there's far too many O'Driscolls as the gang always reappears every time Arthur rides by. So to save his time and bullets, he avoids the place. He's sure he'll clear it out for good one day, maybe Sadie will ride alongside him and the two of them will wipe the place out in memory of Jakey, but only time will tell. 

Arthur can already see the shots waiting to be taken. There's more than enough pronghorns waiting in the fields, grazing amongst the bluebells. A pack of coyotes can be seen drinking from the river, and Arthur notices a herd of wild horses running in the distance.

The pronghorns will do. There's more than enough meat on one to keep Arthur fed, and Arthur will probably hunt another one tomorrow so he can take it back to camp. 

Normally, Arthur takes a stealthy approach, creeping amongst the grass after dousing himself in cover scent lotion. But Arthur wants to run free today, so with a light tap of his spurs and a click of his tongue, he asks Spirit to ride as fast as he wants, the sound of his hooves echoing off the mountains that surround the valley. 

His bow is at the ready, and the pronghorns begin to run. Spirit, being the stallion that he is, is far faster than the little deer, and catches up to them within seconds. Arthur is an excellent hunter, especially after the lessons Charles gave him back in Colter, and manages to get a clean shot as he rides past one of the does. 

Arthur always hopes his kills are quick and clean, not just because the pelt will be good quality, but because the animal will die on impact, meaning no pain and suffering. There's nothing worse than a sloppy kill where the animal lies there for minutes, crying in pain until they finally bleed to death. The thought of that alone makes Arthur feel sick. And to think, some men who call themselves 'hunters' take pride in those final few minutes, watching their kill bleed to death rather than pulling a bullet between their eyes.

Arthur had once met a man exactly like that, overhearing him gloat at a Saloon about a lousy kill he'd done earlier that day. He went on and on about how he had to let the animal bleed to death else another shot would ruin the pelt, but the hunters own pelt was ruined when Arthur took him out back and beat him down into the mud. Arthur may be an outlaw, but he still has morals, and a lot of respect for folk, animals, and women. 

He dismounts Spirit, asking him to stay still so he can pick the corpse up and stow it over Spirits back, tieing it to his saddle. After giving Spirit a treat and telling him what a good boy he is, Arthur mounts him and rides back to his little camp up in the trees. He doesn't bother hitching Spirit, knowing that if he does wonder, he won't go far. 

The pronghorn and his saddle are removed, and Spirit seems even more relieved when his reigns are removed and the bar is taken out of his mouth. Arthur hears Spirit chewing on it all the time, and despite knowing that horses don't mind the piece of metal in their mouths, Arthur still wishes there was a nicer way to equipt them. 

Spirit wonders off to graze whilst Arthur begins skinning his kill, stowing the pelt on a nearby branch whilst he focuses on cutting up the meat. By the time he's done, the sun has already gone down, and Arthur spends the evening cooking his provisions and stuffing his satchel and stomach full of them. 

Arthur does what he always does when he feels this peaceful, softly singing to himself whilst he sits by the fire, switching between cooking the meat on his knife and taking a swig of whiskey from the bottle he keeps beside him. Spirit has returned from his graze and seems in a rather lazy mood as for once as he sits down beside the fire. He slowly nods off to sleep, enjoying Arthur's quiet singing and the sound of crickets chirping around him. 

Arthur eventually does the same, tucking himself into his bedroll as he uses Spirits saddle for a pillow. His mood is ecstatic, something that the civilized man will never truly feel. There's nothing better than truly being free. Things like land and money mean little to Arthur, and his mood shines even brighter when he has the sun and the moon watching over him every single day. He never blocks them from his view, because a life with a roof above his head just isn't the life for him. 

Arthur knows he's the last of his kind, and the more man builds railways and motorized vehicles, the more his kind dies out. In some ways, Arthur can relate to the Indians, being forced out of their own homes for the oil underneath them. Arthur knows what it's like to have his world die around him, and slowly watch as this newer 'better' world rises up in its place. 

Though it does benefit most of civilization, he'll never understand why anyone would want to replace this life. He knows one day that this valley will be gone, the trees will be chopped down and the animals will be killed. He's seen how grey the sky is around those places, and always feels ill and uneasy whenever he goes near them. 

But Arthur will enjoy it whilst it lasts, and whilst he lasts. He's certain he'll be gone before this valley is, and he'll probably be gone before the gang ever considers going back west. Those days, unfortunately, are behind him, and Arthurs finally come to terms with that. The life he once knew is long gone, but he'll see it again one day.

Arthurs not a religious man, but if there is a heaven, then it'll be a vast open plain with wild horses and buffalo running free. All Arthur needs is his little tent overlooking the land below, with Spirit by his side and food cooking on the open fire. That's heaven, and that's the heaven that's waiting for Arthur when his time comes.

For now, he'll enjoy whatever amount of time is left. It's hard not to enjoy his time when nature surrounds him. Arthur will be fine, he has the open road and that's all he needs.


End file.
